Process of curing meat products.



No. 794.285. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905. W. EPPINGER.

PROCESS OF CURING MEAT PRODUCTS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1904.

vwowtoc a?) h a E PPM (1 E K NITED STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT rrIcE.

WILLIAM EPPINGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MAX BRAND, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF CURING MEAT PRODUCTS- SPEGIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 794,285, dated July 11, 1905.

Application filed eptember 22, 1904. Serial No. 225,397.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM EPPINGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Process of Curing Meat Products, of whichthe following is a specification.

The ordinary process of smoking or curing meat products such assausages, hams, &c. consists in building a wood-fire, usually out ofhickory or oak chips and shavings, in a compartment or smoke-house, andafter such fire has reached a smoldering condition in placing the meatproducts in such compartment for a sufficient time to allow them to beslightly cooked and smoked to acquire the flavor of the smolderingwood-fire. This has been found to be a slow, expensive, and irregularprocess, because it takes considerable time to bring the fire to theright condition, because the heat of the smoldering fire is not verygreat, and because different fires will necessarily be different incooking and smoking properties. I have discovered that meat products canbe cured and smoked in a much more satisfactory and expeditious way bysubjecting them in a closed compartment or smoke-house to the heat andproducts of combustion of ordinary illuminating-gas burned in theordinary way unmixed with air until it issues from the jets, as in theordinary illuminating-burners, which give a yellow or illuminatingflame, or with an unsatisfied combustion, as distinguished from theBunsen burners, in which air is mixed with the gas before combustion,giving a colorless or complete combustion. By treating the meat productsin this way the same are cooked and an appetizing smoky flavor isimparted to the same. Moreover, as gas-flames are easily regulable thecooking and curing processes can be much more accurately performed thanover a smoldering wood-fire. In

some instances, where the wood-flavor is particularly desired, the meatproducts are subjected for a small part of the last part of the processto the action of such fumes.

The accompanying drawings show an improved form of apparatus by whichthe foregoing method can be carried out.

Referring to said drawings, Figure 1 is a frontelevation of theapparatus, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof.

In detail, A designates a box or compartment, leading from which is asmall outlet or escape pipe B. The box has a hinged door (J, which canbe tightly closed by locks D. Arranged in the box are ribs orprojections E, on which may be placed poles or bars, to which the meatproducts are hung or on which may be slid perforated trays carrying themeat products. The door C has an open ing F, which is filled with glass,and inside of the door is arranged a thermometer Gr, by which thetemperature inside of the box can be watched. A gas-pipe H, having asuitable valve or cock I, extends into and across the front lowerportion of the box. Pivoted on the same and connected therewith aresuitable branch arms J J, which are perforated or which have suitablenipples or burners projecting therefrom. K designates a suitable supportfor the ends of these branches. Small draft-holes L are arranged on thefront lower portion of the box.

The process is carried out as follows: The meat products are placed inposition in the compartment, the pivoted branch pipes J are raised, thegas turned on in the pipe H,-and the issuing jets from the pipes J areignited. This will give a series of the ordinary yellow flames. Thepipes J are then lowered to horizontal position, the door closed, andthe valve I operated to get the proper temperature inside of thecompartment. The heat from the flames and the products of combustionthereof will cook and smoke the meats. The draft-holes L being small,the combustion will be in some measure an unsatisfied one, which willgive a smoky flavor to the meat products. At the completion of theprocess the door is opened and a few shovelfnls of sawdust or chipsthrown in on top of the gaspipes to impart a smoky-wood flavor to theproducts. After the charge has been sufficiently cooked and smoked thegas is turned off and the small fire, if one is used, is allowed to goout, so that when the door is opened to withdraw the cured-meat productsthere will be very little escaping smoke or fumes.

A serious objection to the ordinary smokehouse using a wood fireentirely is that it is necessary to open the door before the fire isout, allowing the fumes to escape, which often causes complaint to bemade in the neighborhood and action to be taken by the authorities.

The pivoted construction of the branch gaspipes allows the same to belifted up through the ashes and sawdust from the wood, when they are tobe reignited for the next charge.

Other forms of apparatus may be devised for carrying out the processcovered by the claims.

I have been unable to ascertain with scientific certainty the exactchemistry of my process; but many practical demonstrations of itseffectiveness in quickly and thoroughly curing Having thus fullydescribed my invention, what I claim, and desireto secure by LettersPatent of the United States, is

1. The process of curing and smoking meats, consisting in subjecting thesame to the action of the heat, smoke and vapors generated by burning aregulable supply of illuminatinggas in a chamber closed except for theprovision of an air-supply restricted sufliciently to supply only thenecessary oxygen to maintain unsatisfied combustion of the gas, thetemperature of the chamber being maintained by the burning gas at adegree sufficient to slightly cook the meat.

2. The process of curing and smoking meats, consisting in subjecting thesame to the action of the heat, smoke and -vapors generated by burning aregulable supply of illuminatinggas in a chamber closed except for theprovision of an air-supply restricted sufliciently to supply only thenecessary oxygen to maintain unsatisfied combustion of the gas, thetemperature of the chamber being maintained by the burning gas at adegree sufficient to slightly cook the-meat, and finally subjecting themeat while in said chamber to the action of the vaporous products ofburning Wood to impart to the meat a wood-smoke flavor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM EPPINGER. Witnesses:

LoUIs W. SOUTHGATE, MAX BRAND.

